I went for my weekly run today (I know, it needs to be a little more often than once a week) and I was reminded of a conversation I had with someone a few months ago. This person posed a question to me: is God a learning God? To which, of course, I replied emphatically no! If God did not know everything then God could not be all knowing, and if God is not all knowing, why serve and worship Him? I mean, He could be completely wrong about everything!
This very confused Christian then pointed me toward Genesis 6:5-6, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart." His point? God had no idea that man would choose sin and wickedness, and man had gotten so out of hand, that God needed to lay the smack down. Therefore, God learned that His creation was a mistake.
Obviously the vast errancy in this statement is blatantly clear. However, I will attempt to break down my defense in brief form. First, I responded that God knew that mankind would choose sin and because of this, He could not have "learned from this mistake." His response? Well then, God must be masochistic because he knew his creation would bring him pain. Yes, apparently, God is a masochist.
From here, I made two points:
1) Why can't God be masochistic? Who are we to judge God based on our finite experiences? What is that compared to His infinite wisdom? Continuing on from this thought, how can we even begin to fathom how God works anyways? God is outside of time and space. How can we try to define in our limited human words? Calling Him masochistic is awfully presumptuous!
2) More importantly, is it necessarily masochistic to do something that causes one pain? After all, running causes me quite a bit of physical pain and I know it will before I even begin to do it. I guess I must be a masochist for partaking in it, then! Or maybe my driving force of getting in shape overrides the fact that I will incur some physical pain. Maybe God's ultimate plan is more importnat than the temporary "pain" it may cause Him along the way.
So, no, God is not a masochist.
6 comments:
I did send you an email the other day—I'll dig it out of sent and send it to you again. Maybe it was marked for spam? A few messages I have sent lately have been considered spam.
I have to say that I really enjoyed it a lot. Attributes of God is short, sweet, and to the point. I was particularly touched by Pink's discussion of God's patience.
I used to read a chapter a night from it, as a sort of way to wind down from the day. Highly, highly recommended.
You know, it's funny that things like that happen. God's sense of timing is pretty good.
In regards to the entry, I think that one of the harder lessons to learn is that Adam and Eve really weren't designed to stay in the garden. Sin was a problem already—it existed before Adam did.
We read in Revelation that Jesus is the Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world." Every time that this phrase occurs (ten or eleven of them), I think we're given a glimpse into the plan of God. We were chosen in him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1.4), for example. That phrase appears surprisingly often, actually.
But perspective is key. God's perspective is perfect; he knew the consequences of creation, and he took the necessary steps before he started the work. Which for me, at least, is a comforting thought.
You said you made two points, but all you did was ask questions. First, 'Why can't God be masochistic?' You never gave an answer. 'Who are we to judge God based on our finite experiences?' is a very important question indeed. If we're made in the image and likeness of God, then he relies on us as much as we rely on him. Same could be said to God, 'Who is he who judges us without sin?' Sure, Jesus accepted sin and died for us to sacrifice himself, living the life no one could live, but while he was being crucified, God Himself turned his back, technically, on Himself. So God has never known sin. 'What is that compared to His infinite wisdom?' is a redundant question. If you said God has always known everything and does not need to learn, then his infinite wisdom would amount to nothing in the end, since in the beginning there was nothing but darkness and God is the same from the beginning and the end. 'Continuing on from this thought, how can we even begin to fathom how God works anyways?,' I don't know, how can we? What point are you making? Why do platypus exist? 'How can we try to define in our limited human words?' One step at a time. So, what exactly was your first point anyway?
2) More importantly, is it necessarily masochistic to do something that causes one pain? After all, running causes me quite a bit of physical pain and I know it will before I even begin to do it. I guess I must be a masochist for partaking in it, then! Or maybe my driving force of getting in shape overrides the fact that I will incur some physical pain. Maybe God's ultimate plan is more important than the temporary "pain" it may cause Him along the way.
- God said in our weakness He is our strength. So in order for him to be strong, we have to be weak. So by saying, 'By God's will...' You're cursing someone to suffer themselves to find strength in God.
Seems a little masochistic to me, especially since he said everything He created was good, yet his favorite creation became sin because of God. God could have easily forgiven Lucifer, or changed him, but instead He sent him to earth as the embodiment as sin. So if God hates sin, why did He create it? More importantly, he once loved Lucifer, more than any other angel, yet now he 'despises sin.' How do you call a changing of feelings anything else but 'learning?'
I just don't understand. If God is all knowing, then he knew that Lucifer would fall from Heaven beforehand, he knew that he would create Hell, he knew that he would tempt Adam and Eve, therefore giving all mankind sin and temptation from the Devil. And then he decides to come save us from our sins? Which he already should have known why they happen. And if God is more powerful than the Devil, why can't he defeat him? God is somewhat sadistic to us. There is a reason why we have both bad and good.
God the very evil filthy rotten low life scumbag is really Satan to begin with.
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